Flambit

I actually also thought this owner was known. In fact, I thought this page was discussed in detail about a year ago on these boards? It's not my cup o' tea, so I didn't pay that close attention, but I think there was a thread about it...

Really interesting to see the additional detailing on Superman's arms - costume details that were discarded for whatever reason...

I always think of Avengers 198 when I think of badly colored/ruined pieces. I saw it in person around 2007 and it looks so much worse in person. It would definitely make me think twice about buying it if it were for sale. I wonder if one of those resto guys could work some magic on something like this.

You won't have any competition from me!

Regarding that Aparo Spectre cover - any reason it's going for a price significantly higher than the other Aparo covers in this auction? It's a good cover, but I would have thought the Batman presence would have made the other covers worth more - or at least close up the gap a bit... (Granted not Batman in his own title, but still)...

You probably mean 1st run Hernandez Love and Rockets (issues 1-50)... Stuff from the successive runs is much more affordable (currently).

A good point: anytime I see anything like "Nope," etc, I always assume the owner would never consider selling. But when I see NFS, in the back of my mind, I figure they would at least be open to a discussion, even though the figure may be unapproachable.

I thought I was the only one who kept mine in their original boxes! While I like them, I only really buy the ones where the art hits a particular sweet spot. Kirby's FF volume, Miller's Daredevil, the Marvel Covers book. Really want the Born Again and Dark Knight volumes, and definitely getting the Byrne X-Men volume. I think there's a Byrne FF volume too - I'll pick that one up at some point.

Came here pretty much to say exactly this. Without getting into a discussion of "what does a grail mean/you can have only one, etc," there is a grail sitting on CAF, that one single piece out there in the wild that I covet (to clarify, I would value a handful of pieces in my own collection on a "higher" level grail to me personally - but on CAF, this is pretty much my one want). And like you, I have similar anxieties. "How soon is too soon??" And my philosophy is basically the same. When you come, you should come correct. The onus - and I was going to use that exact word - is on the buyer. Be polite. I feel sorry for some of the responses some of you have received. People badgering gallery owners into coming up with a price, or saying they don't feel comfortable doing that. Then don't inquire! I feel like you better be willing to offer a figure or a trade piece that isn't an insult. If not, you'll always be remembered to that seller as the guy looking for the bargain and you'll pretty much lose access to the piece you want (if you wanted it to begin with). Or, at least, you'll have to fight to make up all the ground you lost by looking like a jerk. I've been pretty lucky. I've been approached a few times and the people have always been very nice, and, in fact, I've had terrific conversations and made friends with some great collectors. The last time I was contacted, it was pretty much textbook how you do it: he was polite, and offered a respectable price right up front. Kudos to him. One the other hand, I've only ever inquired on one piece (which was blank, and not NFS - and not FS either - I had just assumed he had forgotten to fill in the sale status) and we couldn't make it work. No harm done. So any piece that I inquire on - I will be prepared to pull the trigger and have the cash or trade at ready. Basically, I look at it as a very different animal than a FS piece.

Some nice stuff. But I'm always grateful when I don't see anything I have to have.

I found one in an old trunk in the attic. I was going to post it on eBay, but I'll sell it to you for 5k. Today only!

I personally always value the original pencils far above the inked blue lines. The inks are the published piece and what the inker does is extremely important, I grant you, but the pencils are the soul, the genesis, of the story on the page. I love Sinnott, but not even a question for me: I'd take Kirby's original penciled pages!

That very much parallels my experience with comics during that era. Sienkiewicz on NM was so utterly jarring for a comic that I avidly followed that I couldn't hold on for more than a few issues. I know that Sienkiewicz is considered a genius, but to this day I can't stand his style. And over on the X-Men, the weird fashion and design choices were beginning to get out of hand: remember Magneto's purple suit with the flared collars and huge white M? I stuck with it for a while, until it morphed until that 90's lineup that is so revered today, but for me, it was pouches, giant guns and Liefeld, So with the sole exception of Love and Rockets, I didn't read a comic book for five or six years. And although I continued going to SDCC, unfortunately, I sort of forgot about the original art aspect, so I totally missed those early 90's prices.

From those of us stuck out on the west coast: thanks for the pics!

"It belongs in a museum," I want to shout. It's a shame, because as a fan, I would love to see some of this great art, even though I'll never own it. I do think another issue, though, is people don't want to be pestered to sell. There have been times on caf I've written the "Please sell me" message and then deleted it because I just thought the owner doesn't want to deal with that. Ok - and once I sent one because I couldn't help myself.

I would love to have had a shot at that cover. That variant issue was the hot book of it's day. I still remember the elation of finding a half dozen copies at my local hole in the wall liquor store.

That's pretty awesome. Those pages could have languished unfound forever. You're so lucky to get an entire book put back together. It's one of my goals to get an entire book of something one day. What's more insane is Andy - how do you just lose 50+ covers? Crazy. Didn't you own most of a Byrne FF book?

I definitely misremembered. I think now that I must have checked in on eBay and it was $4500, but I forgot to watch the end of the auction. That makes me feel a little better... If only the original cover to JL #1 would surface... I wonder what that would go for? I've heard that Andy Helfer owns it.

Somewhere in the neighborhood of $4500, I think.

I LOVED Pacific Comics! The memories! Like the kids in the 1960s who bought every Marvel book, I was the kid in the early 80s who bought every PC book. Initially because Kirby was their big name, but later because the books were super cool - Alien Worlds, Twisted Tales, Rocketeer, Groo... Waiting for Ms Mystic #2 to come out... I don't have a scan but I did manage to score an early Captain Victory cover (#2) many years ago. Not Kirby in his prime, but I still have memories of buying it off the rack. And what can be said about Love and Rockets? I think Jaime Hernandez is one of the greatest living cartoonists.

I think he means FF #28? That was Kirby, wasn't it?

Yeah, the circular composition would really have bugged me too, but I actually think it kind of worked in that case. And 3k, wow... Fair point about pictures. In order: Top Ten #!, PMIF #106, Superman #4 splash, New Gods cover, Absolute Justice League cover (faces wrap around on the back cover too!)... And one last one, a painted Frank Quietly Books of Magic cover. This goes back a little ways, and I'm trying not to violate my own rules (otherwise we start talking about passing on assorted Kirby bronze age covers for 2k a piece), but Quietly's rep had this on his site for a long time - only 2k! I just couldn't pull the trigger, I remember mainly because the figure in the background kind of bothered me (too busy), but it's a spectacular piece. I'd probably buy this today.

Inspired by the recent "What would you buy" post - which I thought was a great idea for a topic, but I can sort of see why people might not want to advertise what they are in the market for while pieces are available. So, now that certain pieces from our recent history are now unobtainable, if you hadn't dropped the ball or bailed out for whatever reason - what would you have bought in the last year or two that you really regret? And hey, I get it - people may not want to say anyway... For me: my biggest regret from the last few years is missing out on that Alex Ross Top Ten #1 cover on Clink. I'm a huge fan and that's pretty much the ultimate statement on those characters (aside from the Ha #1 cover). At the time more money than I really thought it was worth but I'm bummed now. Also regret missing that awesome Byrne Power Man/Iron Fist cover with Whirlwind on Clink (to the Donnellys no less - so that one is gone forever). Just a great piece from Byrne in his 80s prime with revisiting his first hit character. I was the underbidder and I feel like the buyer got a great deal because Byrne prices exploded right afterwards! That amazing Byrne Jimmy Olsen splash from two Clink cycles ago: probably one of the most beautifully executed Byrne Superman figures I've ever seen. I fought for that one, but it ultimately just went way higher than I really felt it should have (at the time), but kudos to the buyer/seller - a fantastic piece. That Kirby New Gods Black Racer cover... I really waffled on that one. Such a fantastic, in-your-face image, and a steal, but I couldn't get around how derivative I felt the character was (Black Racer/Silver Surfer.. one is one a surfboard, one is on skis... I love you Jack, but c'mon...). Still, a great deal, and I don't think we'll see a Kirby character cover go that cheap again. Bonus: That Kevin Maguire Absolute Justice League elevator cover that Maguire listed on eBay. Didn't even bid.

1983 - a Buckler World's Finest cover.

Not being sarcastic here, but genuinely curious: what is the love for Liefeld? I really disliked his art at the time, but I also stopped reading comics for several years, so I have no artistic or nostalgic attachment to his work. I mean I get paying big money for an early Deadpool or Cable appearance (neither means much to me because that's all a bit after my time), but is it a nostalgic thing? Do some people really think he's a great artist?